This year the Martin County Extension Service participated in Heritage Days at each elementary school. Volunteers from the Martin County Beekeepers Association also participated in each of the Heritage Days by offering lessons in beekeeping and the thrill of the students getting to see a live hive of honeybees through the use of our observation hive.  Introducing beekeeping to students is vital because it has a long history of being one of the most important contributors to the production of many agricultural crops.

 The daylong events offered students many fun and educational activities.  Such as, cooking on an open fire, taxidermy, quilting, home food preservation, making apple butter, contest, turkey calling, antique vehicles  and old time hunting just to name a few.  Students were given the whole day to go from station to station. Some of the activities varied from school to school but, each student got to experience the activities that were available got them.

 The Extension Service was fortunate enough to come in contact with all 800 elementary school students during these Heritage Day events.

 The outcome of the programs is in the intermediate stage.  Students who have been participating for the last few years are putting what they have learned in to practice by taking their knowledge home with them. However, the impact of this program will be experienced for many years as these students reach adult and already exposed to the Extension Service.